How I Thrived (and You Can Too)

Over the past nine years, I had the great blessing of working at Kiwanis International—an international service organization with members around the world giving their time, talents and treasures to make the world a better place. As a member of the staff team, I had the honor and privilege to support their work and, more specifically, to support their work engaging youth in service and leadership.

For those that worked closely with me, they knew that I am often made book recommendations, provided copies of notes from workshops, shared new ideas and on occasion, recapped Sunday’s sermon message.  So, as I prepared to leave, I wanted to share one last time.

I passed along a few things that had helped me thrive in my work—and could even help them be successful as well.

View everything as an opportunity. When you are faced with a road block, something unexpected, or not-so-good information, first think "what can I learn from this". When you see these situations as an opportunity to grow, better yourself or even help someone else, your mood and attitude will be in the right place to address what is ahead of you. Know that you are faced with this because you are the exact right person to resolve it.

Do just a bit more (or a lot more) than what is expected. Beat deadlines. Show up to a meeting a minute early. Smile. Respond to your emails within the day. When you do this over and over again, you build trust and demonstrate to everyone that you care about them. Ultimately, you will make the lives of those around you better--and easier.

Don't be the smartest person in the room. When you surround yourself with smart people, you are always learning while identifying the better solutions. Also, invest in your own knowledge by reading, sharing and collaborating with others, and asking questions--seek to understand. With this mindset, you be ensured to do your best work and be the best you.

Choose happiness, kindness, and gratitude. You have to choose to be this way--yes, every day. And when you commit to it, you will be blessed with seeing happiness, kindness and gratitude in others. And can you imagine what your world would be like if you helped create a culture of joy, people doing what they can to make other's lives easier, and appreciation? WOW!

Remember....it WILL work out. It always works out. And you have what it takes to handle ever opportunity that comes your way!

These are lessons I learned from my mentors, fellow staff members and volunteers. Doing my best to have these attitudes and behaviors, I was able to be an effective team member.